Shane Watson. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) enjoy a large fanbase in the Indian Premier League (IPL), alongside five-time title winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI). Unlike CSK and MI, Challengers don’t have any trophies in their cabinet but in the 2009, 2011, and 2016 editions of the tournament, they concluded their campaigns as runners-up.
Bangalore haven’t won any trophies in their 16-year IPL journey but there have been several former RCB stalwarts who have become IPL champions. Discussing more, let’s talk about 10 players who became IPL title winners after leaving the Bangalore-based outlet.
Here are 10 players who won IPL after leaving RCB
10. Saurabh Tiwary
Saurabh Tiwary (Photo Source – Twitter/X)
Witnessing Saurabh Tiwary’s scintillating batting show for Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2010, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) signed him up for INR 16,00,000. Tiwary played for Challengers for three years from 2011 to 2013 but couldn’t live upto the expectations. In his+ three-year stint with Bangalore, he played 46 matches but scored only 578 runs at a miserable strike rate of 106.64.
Disenchanted with his performance, the RCB team management parted ways with him before the 2014 IPL season. In 2017, MI won their third IPL title under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy and Tiwary was a member of the champion team. In his second stint with Mumbai, Saurav got only one game from the team management and scored 52 off 43 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens.
9. Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel joined RCB in 2014 but couldn’t justify his role as a batter. He scored 205 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 110.82. Noting his non-performance, the RCB dropped him from their 2015 IPL squad.
From 2015 to 2017, Parthiv served MI as an opener and scored 911 runs in 40 matches at a strike rate of 131.83. In MI’s second and third trophies wins, Parthiv made decent contributions from his bat. In 2015, he scored 395 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 134.81 while in 2017, he scored 339 runs in 14 games.
8. Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh emerged as the costliest player in the 2014 IPL auction, receiving a hefty amount of INR 14 crore from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The southpaw scored 376 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 135.25 and ended up as the team’s second-leading run-scorer in the season. However, his performance couldn’t satiate RCB and their team management as they parted ways with him before the 2015 auction.
The veteran became a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2016 IPL auction for INR 7 crore. Yuvraj contributed 236 runs in 10 matches in the Orange Army’s title win. In the final against his former side RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, he produced a crucial 38-run knock off just 23 balls in his team’s eight-run win.
7. Manish Pandey
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings IPL 2014. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Manish Pandey kicked off his IPL career with RCB in 2008. In 2009, he became the first Indian player to notch up a ton in the cash-rich league. He achieved the unique feat in RCB’s jersey. Before the 2011 mega auction, Challengers retained only Virat Kohli, and following this, Pandey went under the hammer and was picked up by Pune Warriors India (PWI).
In the 2014 auction, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) picked up Pandey for INR 1.70 crore. The right-handed batter played a crucial role in KKR’s title win, scoring a match-winning 94 off 50 against Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab) in the final played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
6. Robin Uthappa
Former India player Robin Uthappa was a vital member of RCB in the second and third editions of the league. After the 2010 season, Bangalore released him and he became a part of Pune Warriors India (PWI) in 2011. In 2014, he joined KKR and pulled off the Orange Cap with his extraordinary batting display in the season.
He racked up 660 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 137.78 and guided Knight Riders to their second title victory. In 2021, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) signed him up and the veteran contributed 115 runs in four contests. In Qualifier 1 held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, he played an important knock of 63 off 44 and helped CSK register a four-wicket win against Delhi Capitals (DC) and qualify for the final.
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5. Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali made his IPL debut in 2018 for RCB but couldn’t provide solid numbers to the team with both and ball. However, the RCB team management didn’t lose faith in Moeen and continued with him for two more seasons. Witnessing the England stalwart’s miserable performance in three seasons, Challengers snapped ties with him.
In 2021, Super Kings invested INR 7 crore in Moeen at the auction. He justified the amount with his magnificent all-round performance and made essential contributions to Chennai’s fourth title win. He chipped in with 357 runs as a batter in 15 matches at a strike rate of 137.30 while with the ball, he took six wickets at an economy of 6.35.
4. Quinton de Kock
RCB got South Africa opener Quinton de Kock for INR 2.80 crore in the 2018 IPL auction but the star player couldn’t do much for the team with his bat. The Protea wicket-keeper batter scored 201 runs in eight matches of the season and noting his ineffective batting numbers, Challengers traded him to MI.
In the 2019 and 2020 IPL editions, MI lifted the trophy and de Kock did his job outstandingly. The star batter ended up as the third-leading run-getter in the 2019 season, with 529 runs in 16 matches. Discussing his performance in 2020, he piled up 503 runs with four fifties in 16 contests.
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been serving SRH since 2014 and in these 10 years, he has delivered numerous memorable innings to the team’s fans with the ball. In Hyderabad’s title victory in 2016, he became the Purple Cap winner for picking up 23 wickets in 17 matches at a frugal economy of 7.42.
The India pacer made his IPL debut for Pune Warriors India (PWI) in 2011 but back in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, he was a member of the RCB camp. However, during his two-year association with Bangalore, he didn’t get a chance to be a part of the team’s playing XI.
2. Jacques Kallis
Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis did a fabulous job for KKR from 2011 to 2014. He racked up 409 runs and 15 wickets in 17 matches and helped Kolkata clinch the trophy in 2012. In July 2014, he retired from all forms of cricket but in 2016, he returned to the KKR camp as their head coach.
Before serving Knight Riders in the cash-rich league, Kallis gave service to RCB in the first three IPL instalments. His notable performance for Challengers came in the 2010 IPL when he scored 572 runs and took 13 wickets for the side.
1. Shane Watson
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), 2018 Final. (Photo Source: Twitter)
RCB splurged INR 9.5 crore from their wallet in the 2016 IPL auction and signed up former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson. Bangalore ended the 2016 season as runners-up and the Aussie displayed his bowling excellence to make the season memorable for the team’s supporters. He grabbed 20 wickets in 16 matches and ended up as the third-highest wicket-taker in the competition.
In 2017, he looked completely out of rhythm with both bat and ball. Watson went under the hammer in the 2018 IPL mega auction and this time, CSK bought him for INR 4 crore. Under MS Dhoni, the Yellow Army won the coveted trophy for the third time and the Aussie veteran played an instrumental role with his bat. With 555 runs in 15 matches, he ended up as Chennai’s second-highest run-getter in the competition.
Also check: RCB team news, squad, fantasy, all you need to know